Jewel H. Bronaugh, Virginia commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, was nominated this month to be deputy secretary of agriculture. If confirmed by the US Senate, she would be the first African American woman to serve in the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) No. 2 position, tasked with day-to-day operations of what is approximately a 100,000-employee department.
Prior to her appointment to the Virginia government position in 2018, Bronaugh was for five years the agriculture dean at Virginia State University, served as executive director to VSU’s Center for Agricultural Research, Engagement and Outreach, and was the Virginia state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency. Read more